Wantirna South Early Learning Centre facilitates a Music program across all ages. Sessions run between 15-40 minutes depending on the ages of the children and involve many different songs from all genres. The main focus of the session includes an introduction, getting to know each other, musical exploration, music movement as well as language learning. Some of the songs we teach and sing with our children are an “Acknowledgement of Country” song, that calls out our gratitude and appreciation of Australia’s traditional landowners for the land on which we live and play, and a “Good morning” song’ from the musical, Singing in the Rain.
Through the selected music, children learn how to greet one another and learn about each other and their surroundings. They are able to develop their social-emotional wellbeing, build reciprocal relationships as well as increase their vocabulary as part of creating a positive learning environment.
During the musical movement segment of our music classes, children participate in singing and moving to various songs such as “Hokey Pokey”, “Get you moving” and “Sandy girl”. Sandy girl is a popular choice among the children to build positive relationships with one another and build their gross motor skills as well.
For our older children, there is a segment dedicated to musical performance and improvisation. Children are offered a safe platform for creative expression as they interact with an array of musical instruments presented for their experimentation. Children have the opportunity to improve their singing voices and develop their sense of rhythm as they engage with musically enriching pieces and experiences tailored to help them appreciate different genres of music.
Music sessions with our children are a wonderful opportunity for holistic development. Working collaboratively with their peers, singing songs and learning about expression allows each child to start learning key skills like cooperation and collaboration with their peers, as well as developing their own individuality and sense of self. We will continue working on broadening opportunities for more music-making, more incorporation of songs from other cultures and creative compositions.
